Sankanu warns Nollywood alleged copy cats from stealing his Ideas

Great! I am the first person to openly write (see my article on Rita Edochie’s Gambian Nollywood Charade below) that „…As President Jammeh is about to clock 20 years in power, the most reasonable cinematographic way of doing justice to his image is by producing an international standard and propaganda-free biopic on him, be it a documentary or fiction….

Yes the copy-cats who are reading will not hesitate to steal my this idea and then sell it to President Jammeh through some of his trusted inner circle members. You lazy thieves!
That said, the reality is that some of these people in the home video sectors of Nollywood/Gollywood are more interested in getting the funding for their projects than focusing on the serious legacy benefits.

They know the pervasive nature of piracy and be-rich-quick greed in the Nigerian/Ghanaian film industries make it almost impossible for them to recoup the investments on time.

They try to therefore make their money during the production phase with at times inflated budgets. Yes, film is an expensive business. But the story line and script of a movie can give a bonafide and sincere practitioner the reasonable idea on the realistic financial implications different from any figure someone throws out in the air as budget.

One cannot blame them without including Gambian private and public sector decision makers whose inferiority complex and lack of respect for indigenous creativity make them easy prey for exploitation.

The average Gambian business boss or public sector decision maker will waste time with empty promises, cock and bull stories about hard business times, budget constraints for public institutions and other lazy excuses a human being can imagine, but would not hesitate to pump fortunes into the projects of Nollywood, Senegalese and other flying briefcase operators.”

TARRAA! Fast forward 2013. The copy-cats, idea thieves and flying brief case operators and are at it again. Doing exactly what I predicted. They are lobbying the Jammeh inner circles to get free money for another propaganda flick called „The Patriot” after the Rita Edochie and Jim Iyke propaganda attempts. See the Daily Observer

„The Patriot” will NOT do justice to Jammeh’s legacy and will not add value to the Gambian talents base or cultural heritage. The time and approach are, professionally writing, too short and hollow to make a serious film on President Jammeh to match say the films on Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Patrice Lumumba or Abraham Lincoln. I started research work on my planned film on Captain Thomas Sankara in 2008 and I am still not rushing as it is not a propaganda film. If the copy-cats want to do something on President Jammeh for TV or the typical home video audiences fine but it will not gain the requisite international distribution and attraction required no matter how much millons they pump into the publicity campaigns. Haphazard propaganda works do have hard time in the standard film markets in or out of Africa. Take note!

In my assessment of my first Gambian working visit, I also wrote that “Professionally confessing, I am not part of the quickie “Nollywood” hype system. I cannot therefore expect to come to the Gambia and get millions in un-bureaucratic sponsorship deals for Nollywood-like Gambian projects that cannot make it through international standard distribution, get access to first class locations with ease, abuse Pan African solidarity by reducing the Gambian cast and crew members to slaves, exploit the Gambian hospitality and get away with a smile into the banks in Lagos, New York, Dubai or London as some Nollywood folks have been, and will keep doing to the Gambia. I am part of the international standards for professional nobility, ethics, passion, patience, modesty and responsibility with emphasis on legacy benefits for the countries we operate in.”

The copy-cats came in and according to the Daily Observer edition of March 05, 2013 “Speaker after speaker praised Nollywood and African Film Critics for what they all described as a brilliant idea that deserves full support…The Ministers of Higher Education, Research Science and Technology, Environment, Parks and Wildlife, Works, Construction and Infrastructure and the Presidential affairs, Dr Mamadou Tangara, Fatou Ndey-Gaye, Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, Francis Liti Mboge and Dr Njogu Bah all described the initiative as delightful and well-thought of idea.” Wow, in whick kind of world do we live that idea thieves can be given VIP backing inside a national cabinet room? They will however never steal the credit/record from me as the first young filmmaker or intellectual to openly talk of a serious film on President Jammeh! Their awards, donations and other propaganda material they would be presenting Jammeh can never match my priceless endrosement of him that is above materialistic gains.

If one tries to reason, one is insulted as xenophobe or jealous but my Pan Africanist credentials vindicate me. My day job involves promoting African integration, social cohesion and cultural renaissance through the cultural and creative industries and I have no time to hate or envy fellow and genuine Africans on the Continent and in the Diaspora. Only those who have no ingenuity, dignity and self-worth will envy or feel threatened by others.

The decent undeniable truth is that one cannot build a film industry overnight with fairy tale projects. We must have the courage to differentiate those who just want take advantage of the Gambian gullibility by doing their things from those who are toiling and moiling for a viable local film industry.

Take your monies, make your movies and smile away into your banks but please just STOP talking of building a Gambian film industry when you are just putting the carts before the horses.

To all the marginaized Gambian and Gambia-based African talents, do not despair. INALLAH MA SABIRINA. Allah is with those who persevere and exercise patience/restraint.

„If Mr. LIE is bragging in the compound or village square, it means Mr. TRUTH has gone to the bush to make a rope and tie up Mr. Lie.” A Sarahulleh proverb.

See you soon in The Gambia to separate the chaff from the bread and show the jokers how to build a film industry from scratch.